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List of The Venture Bros. characters
This is a list of the main and recurring fictional characters from ''The Venture Bros., the Adult Swim/Cartoon Network comic science fiction series. Team Venture Team Venture composes the central characters in the show; they live in a fortified compound in an undisclosed location somewhere in the United States. The compound doubles as the headquarters for Dr. Venture's company, Venture Industries. *'Hank Venture' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): A teenage boy, one-half of the eponymous pairing. Hank is a combination of Joe Hardy, Johnny Quest and Fred Jones of ''Scooby Doo fame. He tends to be more athletic and better at disguises than his brother. He is always up for adventures and solving mysteries, but can be rather naïve, and his impulsiveness frequently gets him into trouble. *'Dean Venture' (voiced by Michael Sinterniklaas): A teenage boy, the second half of the eponymous pairing. Dean is timid, selfless, and more "bookish" than Hank. He is a combination of Frank Hardy, Peter Parker from Spider-Man (in fact, he wears Spider-Man pajamas in several episodes) and a stereotypical boy from the 1950s (e.g. Henry Huggins). He has an obvious crush on Triana Orpheus. *'Dr. Thaddeus S. "Rusty" Venture' (voiced by James Urbaniak): Father of the Venture twins. He constantly lives in the shadow of his famous father Dr. Jonas Venture, from whom he inherited Venture Industries. There is some question as to his actual degree of ability in the nebulously defined field of "super-science." While Dr. Venture desperately wishes to emerge from his father's shadow, ultimately his knack for cutting corners proves his undoing, with his shoddy attempts at genuine technological innovation typically resulting in utter debacle (serving as the premise for several episodes). The doctor seems to dislike his sons; it is somewhat unclear whether he actually cares for them at all. However, he keeps cloning them and has not tried to cash in on the process, which suggests more than scientific curiosity. *'Brock Samson' (voiced by Patrick Warburton): Though not related to the Ventures per se, Brock is the bodyguard of the Venture family and an agent with the Office of Secret Intelligence. As a "Super Secret Agent," he has a license to kill and an amazing zeal to use it. Though Brock usually displays a relaxed and casual attitude, his temper can cause him to snap into psychotic violence at the slightest provocation. His ability to dispense punishment is equaled by his ability to sustain it, to the point that he is seemingly un-killable. He also has a superhuman sexual appetite, with conquests ranging from beauty queens to sleazy strippers to "the Queen of the Ant People." He is extremely loyal to the Venture family, actually living with them in the compound, and now seems to serve as a bit of a mentor for the boys, with whom he shares an avuncular relationship. *'H.E.L.P.eR.' (voiced by "Soul-Bot"): The Venture family's personal helper robot. H.E.L.P.eR. is an acronym for Humanoid Electric Lab Partner Robot. He was created by Dr. Jonas Venture to look after his son Rusty, but now assists Brock in looking after Dean and Hank. He does not speak, but rather communicates via electronic beeps that are more or less understood by the Venture clan. Though he has very sensitive feelings, the Ventures often treat him like an old appliance or pet. Friends of Venture *'Dr. Jonas Venture, Jr.', also known as J.J. (voiced by James Urbaniak): Dr. Venture's deformed twin, who was absorbed by Rusty in the womb. Until the first season finale, he appeared only in Dr. Venture's nightmares. He was freed from Rusty's body via surgery after being mistaken for a tumor. Desperate to claim the life that was stolen from him, he tried to murder Dr. Venture using a giant mechanical suit that he made out of household items. Though he has the body of an infant, his head has matured to an adult appearance and bears a striking resemblance to that of his father. He also seems to have inherited his father's brilliance, unlike Thaddeus, as he earned two doctorates within the period of a few weeks. By the end of the first season, Thaddeus has agreed to share his Venture birthright with his brother. Jonas Jr. appears to be everything his brother is not: scientifically astute, hard-working, attractive to women, about two feet tall, and the possessor of a full head of hair. *'Pete White' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): An albino computer scientist and co-founder of Conjectural Technologies. He went to college with Venture and Ünderbheit where he hosted a New Wave radio show called "The White Room." Like Venture and Quizboy, White tends to be somewhat lazy and half-hearted in his efforts. *'Master Billy Quizboy' (voiced by Doc Hammer): A self-proclaimed "boy genius," Quizboy is actually an adult with a speech impediment and growth hormone deficiency. He is a neurogeneticist and co-founder of Conjectural Technologies. He suffers from hydrocephalus, although his intellect seems to be unaffected by this condition. He has a bionic hand and wears an eyepatch over one eye, which have yet to be explained. He is a virgin. *'Triana Orpheus' (voiced by Lisa Hammer): Dr. Orpheus's 17-year-old quasi-goth daughter. She has purple hair, and is fairly friendly with the Venture Boys. She is possibly the most down-to-earth character on the show, despite her father's tendency to dramatize. She takes an interest in kitsch. It is unclear whether she knows about Dean Venture's crush on her, or whether she feels the same towards him. *'The Pirate Captain' (real name unknown) (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): The leader of the "ghost pirates" in the episode "Ghosts of the Sargasso". After his initial encounter with the Venture family, he began living on the X-2 after having difficulties in finding a job. When Jonas Jr. acquired the ship, he hired the captain. He has not been referred to by any name or nickname other than "The Captain" so far. The Order of the Triad *'Dr. Byron Orpheus' (voiced by Steven Rattazzi): An expert necromancer and mystic who rents a portion of the Venture Compound and is friendly with Dr. Venture. Along with Brock, he is the only associate of Dr. Venture who displays any sort of competence, although his pomposity tends to detract from his abilities. He dresses much like Doctor Strange, with face and hair similar to those of Vincent Price. His speech is filled with overly dramatic phrases, delivered in a theatrically grandiose voice with extreme emphasis on mundane topics, usually over a background of ominous trumpet-laden music. After witnessing Dr. Venture's various enemies, he develops a fervent desire for an archnemesis of his own. *'Jefferson Twilight' (voiced by Charles Parnell): An old friend of Dr. Orpheus. He is an African-American who fights blaculas for a living and wields two swords. He is a pastiche of the Marvel superhero Blade and the blaxploitation movie protagonist, Shaft. *'The Alchemist' (voiced by Dana Snyder): Another old friend of Dr. Orpheus, he is an unnamed alchemist who is searching for the philosopher's stone as well as a cure for AIDS. It all but openly acknowledged several times that he is a homosexual. Original Team Venture *'Dr. Jonas Venture, Sr.' (voiced by Paul Boocock): Deceased father of Dr. Thaddeus Venture and Jonas Junior, seen in dreams, hallucinations, old videotapes, and flashbacks. He was the foremost scientist and adventurer in the world of his time. He created what is now known as Venture Industries and led the original Team Venture. His character is based on Doc Savage. *'The Action Man', whose real name is Rodney (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): Retired member of the original Team Venture. He is an all-American super-soldier reminiscent of a B-grade Nick Fury, though his costume evokes elements of a vintage Captain America. Since his retirement, he has become a crotchety old man with flatulence problems. He married Major Tom's widow, Jeannie, after Tom's tragic accident. Dr. Orpheus predicted that Action Man will die in two years, seventeen days from a stroke after an accidental confrontation. The Action Man gets his name from the David Bowie song "Ashes to Ashes", which functioned as a follow-up to "Space Oddity", which introduced "Major Tom". *'Colonel Horace Gentleman' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): Retired member of the original Team Venture and later ersatz leader of the reformed Team Venture. He is a British gentleman and adventurer in the vein of Allan Quatermain and James Bond. The influence is apparent in the similarity of his voice to that of Sean Connery, who has played both characters in movies. He dresses in an old-fashioned British suit, complete with cane. It is briefly implied that he is a pederast. In the second season, Hank and Dean find him dead of unknown causes. *'Kano' (unvoiced): Retired member of the original Team Venture. He is a master of the martial arts and an accomplished pilot. He never speaks, and only communicates by way of origami and sparse gestures. As Col. Gentleman describes him, his hands are "powerful enough to crush a boulder," yet "delicate enough to crush a butterfly." *'Otto Aquarius' (voiced by T. Ryder Smith): Retired member of the original Team Venture. An exiled son of Atlantis, he is half-human and half-Atlantean, which grants him a greatly extended life-span. Most recently, he has converted to either the Church of Latter Day Saints (according to the special features section of The Venture Bros. Season 1 DVD) or the Jehovah's Witnesses (according to Jackson Publick's blog), though his bizarre appearance often sabotages his attempts at evangelism. Due to his newfound faith, he is now a pacifist, limiting his usefulness to the reformed Team Venture. In a deleted scene, he refuses to work alongside Col. Gentleman, Kano, and the Action Man, accusing them of of being, "an idolater, a sodomite, and an adulterer." Villains *'The Monarch' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): Dr. Venture's self-styled archnemesis. He is obsessed with Monarch butterflies, which he claims raised him as a child. In fact, he only spent a few months unsuccessfully imitating them before returning to the city, and still seems to have almost no understanding of their biology or behavior. Though he frequently describes himself as Dr. Venture's nemesis, their rivalry resides almost completely in the Monarch's imagination. In reality, Dr. Venture considers him more a nuisance than a genuine threat. His plans against the Venture family are usually bizarre and fail for a number of sad reasons. At the end of season one, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to prison after being framed by the Phantom Limb. However, in the second season, he escaped and began trying to rebuild his criminal operation. **'Henchman 21', whose real name is Gary (voiced by Doc Hammer): an overweight pop-culture geek. He is always accompanied by Henchman 24. Wrote (or at least provided the cover-photo for) "Flight of the Monarch", a tell-all that starts the chain of events ending in the Monarch's incarceration. In the first episode of season two, being without costume for the first time, he is described by 24 as resembling Kevin Smith. He briefly toyed with the idea of becoming a supervillain himself, "the Viceroy." When he isn't with the Monarch, he lives at home with his mother and runs a comic book hotline. **'Henchman 24', (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): a tall, thin man with voice characteristics resembling comic Ray Romano. He and Henchman 21 frequently have arguments about unusual hypothetical situations. Is described by 21 in the first episode of the second season as resembling Jerry Seinfeld with a unibrow. *'Doctor Girlfriend' (voiced by Doc Hammer): Former girlfriend and assistant to the Monarch. She bears a remarkable similarity to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and shares her New England accent. Her comically deep voice (the character is voiced by a man) is a parody of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' relatively low voice for a woman, and rumors that she is a transsexual have been dispelled as a red herring. After being thrown out by the Monarch, she has moved back in with Phantom Limb, although she seems somewhat torn between the two. She is currently single and seeking out new hench-partners. *'Baron Werner Ünderbheit' (voiced by T. Ryder Smith): A noted member of the Guild of Calamitous Intent and former tyrant dictator of Ünderland. He wears a prosthetic metal jaw and speaks in a thick, pseudo-German accent. He blames Dr. Venture for the loss of his jaw; as he says, "In my country, a lab-partnership is a sacred trust. One is always supposed to look out for one's lab-partner! Venture did not..." Baron Ünderbheit is a parody of Doctor Doom and has been jokingly identified as such in the context of show (e.g. The Monarch referred to him as "that dime store Doctor Doom"). It's worth noting that Ünderland resides within the borders of Michigan as a sovereign nation. **'Manservant' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): Baron Ünderbheit's long-time personal servant, given to him as a birthday present from his mother while he was in college. He is so completely devoted to Ünderbheit that he almost seems to have no will of his own; he speaks in a zombielike monotone, and always appears to be staring into space. His fate after the deposition of Baron Ünderbheit is unknown. The Guild of Calamitous Intent *'Phantom Limb' (voiced by James Urbaniak): A villain with invisible arms and legs. He is arguably the most competent villain seen thus far in the Venture Brothers universe, although he seems largely indifferent to the Ventures themselves. He framed the Monarch for murder and attempted to foil the Monarch's escape plot, ostensibly because he wants Dr. Girlfriend all to himself. His name and invisible limbs are references to the phantom limb syndrome experienced by amputees. The name and purple costume are also references to the comic book and comic strip hero, The Phantom. *'Watch' and Ward (voiced by Christopher McCulloch and Doc Hammer respectively): Two Guild operatives who work directly with Phantom Limb. They frequently engage in petty arguments that are based on actual conversations between the show's creators. Their names may derive from the Watch and Ward Society. Minor villains *'Roy Brisby' (from The Incredible Mr. Brisby): A parody of Walt Disney with elements of Ra's Al Ghul, a major Batman villain. **'Mandalay' *'Otaku Senzuri' (from The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay). *'Grand Galactic Inquisitor' (from Twenty Years to Midnight). Imprisoned supervillians *'King Gorilla' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): A talking, homosexual gorilla who befriended the Monarch while in jail. King Gorilla was a member of the Guild of Calamitous Intent until his imprisonment for brutal murder and rape (in that order) of Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil during a reality TV show. Because of his high-profile crime, the Guild turned its back on King Gorilla and has led to the villain becoming bitter and cynical towards the Guild. After kidnapping and attempting to rape the Monarch, he was moved enough by the Monarch's quest to regain Dr. Girlfriend's love that he assisted in the fellow villain's escape from prison. His ability to talk and walk upright is not explained, and he has an obsession with Tarzan (Jackson Publick has suggested that he somehow houses and raises multiple Tarzans in his cell or the common area of the prison). King Gorilla is most likely is a parody of Monsieur Mallah (as they are both talking, homosexual gorillas) or possibly Gorilla Grodd from the Legion of Doom. *'Tiny Joseph' (voiced by Doc Hammer): Although he originally appeared as one of the Monarch's henchmen in "A Very Venture Christmas", he later appeared as the Monarch's cellmate. He is only a few inches tall. *'Other imprisoned supervillians': Mister Monday, Mecha-Mouth, White Noise, Tigeriffic, Shame Face and Dr. Septapus. Recurring characters *'Molotov Cocktease' (voiced by Mia Barron): Brock Samson's sometimes-ally, sometimes-antagonist, and full-time love interest. Years ago she killed his partner, and he killed her father and took out her left eye. She is an ex-Soviet agent, now making her living as a mercenary. She shares a somewhat sadomasochistic relationship with Brock. Unfortunately for him, she wears a chastity belt, so their relationship can never be consummated. Her name is a pun combining "Molotov cocktail" with "cocktease" (referring primarily to her chastity belt). *'Kim' (voiced by Nina Hellman): Triana's friend, whose fashion sense causes several people to assume that she is a supervillain. She develops a true interest in supervilliany after an encounter with Dr. Girlfriend. *'Col. Bud Manstrong': Until recently, with the late Anna Baldovitch, was the leader of the two man crew of the abandoned space station, "Gargantua-1". He is a very repressed individual who cowers under the will of his inebriated mother and his severely old-fashioned brought tremendous strain on the relationship between him and Baldovitch, especially when Brock Samson ended up in the middle of things. After Gargantua-1 crashed on a wanted terrorist, Manstrong is treated as a hero and was offered the vice-presidency, which he turned down in horror upon learning of the president's indiscretions. Alternates between immaturity and sheer denial when confronted with sex and anything remotely unpleasant. *'Anna Baldovitch': Bud Manstrong's love interest and only companion in space station "Gargantua-1". Even though they spend several years alone in space, due to Bud's repression, they never have sexual relations. When the Ventures arrived to fix the station, she had sex with Brock Sampson. She has an attractive but her face (although never shown) is thought to be very unpleasant. *'The Master' (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin): Dr. Orpheus's old teacher and mentor to magic, he is much more laid back than Orpheus and has chided his student for being extremely uptight. Despite this, he has admitted Orpheus is still his best student and seems to have a fondess for him, frequently letting Orpheus come to him for advice. He is never seen in his human form but rather as various animals; notably Cerebeus and the horse that squashed Catherine the Great, perhaps more disturbingly he is always partaking in some sort of sensual pleasure when seen. *'General Manhowers' The Impossibles *'Professor Richard Impossible' (voiced by Stephen Colbert): Founder of Impossible Industries, a major government contractor, and former professor to Dr. Venture, Mr. White, and Billy Quizboy. He holds science and the pursuit of knowledge in a much higher regard than he does his wife or other people; at times this has manifested as homicidal ruthlessness though most of the time, he's simply out of touch. Impossible and his cohorts are a parody of the Fantastic Four: an experiment with cosmic radiation gave them each strange abilities. Richard can stretch his body like rubber, similar to Mister Fantastic. The other members of his family have useless parodies of the other members' powers. *'Sally Impossible' (voiced by Mia Barron): Richard's wife. Has invisible skin (which is somewhat less useful than the abilities of the Invisible Woman) and she requires all her concentration to keep her skin visible. Sally developed, and still maintains, a crush on Dr. Venture, who was repelled when he discovered her condition. Richard has implied that she has been repeatedly unfaithful and that her newborn son Rocket might be fathered by someone else. Sally is currently dating Johnas Venture Jr. and resides on Spider Skull Island with the rest of the Impossibles, sans Richard. *'Cody' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): Sally's brother. Bursts into flames when exposed to oxygen. Unlike the Human Torch, he cannot control this very painful reaction, so he is kept in an air-tight container. As a result, he is usually in a state of unconsciousness. *'Ned' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): Sally and Ned's mentally handicapped cousin. Has a pale orange, lumpy appearance. He is stronger than ordinary people, but not nearly as strong or impervious to harm as The Thing. He has been described as a "giant callus". Ünderground Ünderground is a small resistance cell that spends its time developing plans to prank Ünderbheit. *'Girl Hitler' (voiced by Mia Barron): Formerly one of Baron Ünderbheit's senior advisors, she (along with Catclops and Manic Eightball) were "executed" for betraying Ünderbheit's confidence, although all three survived. Since Baron Ünderbheit's removal from power, she has become Ünderland's president. As her name suggests, she resembles Adolf Hitler, which makes it a humorous irony that she now presides over a nation modeled after Germanic stereotypes. *'Catclops' (voiced by James Urbaniak): For reasons unexplained, he has a cat's face in the center of his forehead and no visible human eyes. After their "execution" by tiger bombs, he and Girl Hitler fled underground, where they led an ineffectual group of freedom fighters. After Ünderland's liberation, he proposed to Girl Hitler. *'Manic Eightball' (unvoiced): He is a human with the powers of a magic 8-ball. He was "executed" by Baron Ünderbheit for treason along with Catclops and Girl Hitler. Despite surviving the combination of tiger attack and explosion, he was captured and remained a prisoner of Ünderbheit, who used his eight-ball power for advice. Minor characters *'Myra Brandish' (from I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills): Voiced by Joanna Adler. Hank and Dean's possible biological mother. According to Brock, she was an American Gladiator under the name Powerkat. However, she claims to be a former OSI agent who guarded Venture in the same manner as Brock does except that Myra fell for Dr. Venture and after some agressive, one-sided flirting on her part, they had a fling, resulting in Hank and Dean. Unfortunately she went insane and has since become a recurring nuisance for Dr. Venture and Brock; she would periodically break out of the asylum and do something different based off whatever medication she is on. Once burned down the compound. It is currently as to whose version of events is correct and whether she actually has any biological connection to the boys at all. *'Col. Hunter Gathers' (from Assassinanny 911): Brock's former mentor from when he was in training for the OSI. Has since gone into hiding after having a sex-change operation. The operation seems to have been successful, giving him a voluptuous body... though without any changes to his manly, scruffy face. Based heavily on Hunter S. Thompson. *'President Breyer' (from Guess Who's Coming to State Dinner?): He is the President of the United States in this continuity. He is amalgamation of Bill Clinton (sex scandals, love of cigars), George W. Bush (terrorists, pronunciation of nuclear as "nuke-a-ler", previous alcoholism), and Lyndon B. Johnson (physical resemblance, accent). *'Mrs. Manstrong' (from Guess Who's Coming to State Dinner?). *'The Ghost of President Lincoln' (from Guess Who's Coming to State Dinner?). *'Dr. Henry Killinger' (from I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills). *'Steve Summers' and Sasquatch (from Home Insecurity). *'Hector' and Swifty (from Powerless in the Face of Death). *'Tiny Attorney' (from The Trial of the Monarch). *'Major Tom' (from Ghosts of the Sargasso) *'The Krampus' (from A Very Venture Christmas). Cameos *Johnny Quest (from Twenty Years to Midnight) *Race Bannon (from Ice Station – Impossible!). Organizations *'Team Venture': The world's foremost adventuring organization decades ago. It consisted of a group of extraordinary gentlemen led by the late, great, Jonas Venture. The present-day group merely consists of Jonas Venture's lackluster son Thaddeus S. Venture, his bumbling grandsons Hank and Dean, the muscular and über-competent bodyguard Brock Samson, and the antiquated robot H.E.L.P.eR. Although this latter-day group is a less-than-worthy successor to the original team, they occasionally manage to have fantastic adventures nonetheless. Semi-regular members include the overly theatrical necromancer Dr. Byron Orpheus, and Dr. Jonas Venture, Jr., Thaddeus Venture's dwarfish brother. *'The Order of the Triad': Dr. Orpheus' adventuring team recently approved for arching by the Guild. *'Orange County Liberation Front' *'Office of Secret Intelligence': The supersecret spy organization of which Brock Samson is a member. According to agent Hunter Gathers, the OSI has been in existence since "the second American Revolution — the invisible one". It trained him into the wonder he is today and its military outfits are vaguely reminiscent of those of S.H.I.E.L.D. Its name seems to be patterned after that of the real-life Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA. *'Conjectural Technologies': A business started by Pete White and Master Billy Quizboy, operated out of the trailer in which they live. Dr. Venture contacted them to help identify and cure Dean's testicular torsion. *'Impossible Industries': A scientific empire headed by Professor Richard Impossible. It includes a think tank in a secluded location near the North Pole and main headquarters in New York City. Pete White, Master Billy Quizboy, and Dr. Venture were selected to participate in an undisclosed project for the think tank. *'Ünderground': A small resistance cell that spends its time developing plans to prank Ünderbheit. Evil organizations *'The Guild of Calamitous Intent': A shadowy syndicate of major and minor supervillains, ne'er-do-wells, and otherwise outlandish criminals. The Guild has laws and guidelines regulating villainous behavior, but the Phantom Limb seems use the organization for his own gain and persecution of the Monarch. Undercover Guild operatives are called "Strangers." The activities of Strangers are monitored by two Guild operatives (see Watch and Ward, above), who receive orders from the mysterious entity, Sovereign. Brock has praised the Guild's precision, and describes it as "the only organization he still respects." *'Monarch henchmen': The loyal henchmen of The Monarch. They are responsible for keeping the cocoon up and running as well as carrying out orders. They are armed with dart guns. *'Ünderland troops': Soldiers at the service of Ünderland and Baron Ünderbheit. *'The Osiris Cult' (from Escape to the House of Mummies Part II): A group of Egyptian people devoted to Osiris. *'The Snakemen' (from Ice Station – Impossible!). Category:The Venture Bros. Category:The Venture Bros. characters